The Nastiest Fights In Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame History

As many inductees complain, the Rock Hall doesn't always invite ex-members to attend a band induction. In 2006, the establishment invited former Blondie members Frank Infante (guitar, bass), Jimmy Destri (keyboards), Nigel Harrison (bass) and Gary Valentine (bass, guitar). Unfortunately, vocalist Debbie Harry, guitarist and bassist Chris Stein, and drummer Clem Burke didn't want them there for various reasons, ranging from past lawsuits to bitterness over alleged substance abuse problems.

They all showed up anyway, but weren't allowed to perform with Blondie. When Infante accepted his award, he let fly with his grievances:

 

I'd like to thank the Hall of Fame for inviting us, and for not writing me, Gary and Nigel out of rock 'n' roll history. This is like one of the greatest gigs you could do as a musician. ... Actually, one thing that would make it better would be if we could actually perform for you tonight, but for some reason, some of us are not allowed to do that. I don't know what we could do about that. I'd like to play.

When they got nominated for the Hall of Fame, infamous English punk pioneers The Sex Pistols made it crystal clear they weren't interested. So, they penned an open letter that resounded with anti-industry, anti-capitalist, f*ck you sentiment:

Next to the Sex Pistols, rock and roll and that hall of fame is a p*ss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. Were [sic] not coming. [We're] not your monkey and so what? Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15,000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a non-profit organisation selling us a load of old famous. Congradulations [sic]. If you voted for us, hope you noted your reasons. [You're] anonymous as judges, but your still music industry people. We're not coming. You're not paying attention. Outside the sh*t-stem is a real SEX PISTOL.

In one of his many mega-hits, “The Joker,” '70s mainstay Steve Miller sang he “sure don’t want to hurt no one.” But when he got inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, he took a stab at the Hall that was honoring him.

Miller chided the institution to “be more inclusive of women” and take a greater role in promoting music education in schools. Backstage, he continued, commenting that his experience with the Hall was “unpleasant” and “they need to respect the artists they say they’re honoring, which they don’t.”

Miller didn’t stop there, telling The New York Times he nearly skipped the event and stayed home:

When they told me I was inducted they said, ‘You have two tickets - one for your wife and one for yourself. Want another one? It’s $10,000. Sorry, that’s the way it goes.’ What about my band? What about their wives?

When a Hall of Fame publicist told Miller to “wrap it up,” he snapped, “No, we’re not going to wrap this up. I’m going to wrap you up. You go sit down over there and learn something.” 

Cleveland was far from Paradise City when Guns N’ Roses got inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. Frontman Axl Rose, who hadn't played with original guitarist Slash since 1996 and co-founding bassist Duff McKagan since 1997, declined the invitation and sent a letter to the Los Angeles Times, which read in part:

I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of “Guns N’ Roses.”

In light of Rose’s reunion with Slash and McKagan for the Not In This Lifetime… Tour, which launched in 2016, the singer's most declarative comments to the Hall of Fame remain particularly ironic:

Let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense.

The biggest scuttlebutt regarding the 33rd annual event focused on easygoing '80s English rockers Dire Straits - who haven’t been so chill about their appearance. In the days leading up to the event, it remained unclear who would show up and whether they'd perform. Frontman Mark Knopfler, guitarist David Knopfler, drummer Pick Withers, bassist John Illsley, keyboardist Alan Clark, and keyboardist and guitarist Guy Fletcher were invited to attend and play.

But only Clark, Illsley, and Fletcher RSVPd. Reports claimed the Knopfler brothers don't get along well at all, which contributed to the uncertainty. 

While Mark remained mum about whether he would attend, David, who initially seemed enthusiastic, later lashed out at the Rock Hall for refusing to pay his expenses to get to Cleveland:

I can well understand that with only $5 million a year in sponsorships and 100k a table and no fees for the artist, that paying my taxi to the airport must have given them heart murmurs like Squeers hearing Oliver Twist asking for more and frightened them into refusal. Otherwise one might get the wrong idea entirely about what they’re all about.

Ultimately, neither of the Knopfler brothers showed up, and Dire Straits ended up making history again: as the first band inducted into the Hall of Fame without an induction speaker.

There's always fireworks when KISS come to town, and the Rock Hall did nothing to extinguish the blaze before or after the show. Only the original four members - guitarist and vocalist Paul Stanley, bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons, guitarist Ace Frehley, and drummer Peter Criss - were inducted. This decision left out many of musicians who have performed on KISS albums, including the band’s current guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.

Clearly, the Rock Hall’s goal was to feature the original lineup performing together for the first time since 2001 (when Criss abruptly left, allegedly over a salary dispute). But Gene and Paul weren't having it, and when it became clear they couldn't perform with their current lineup, they decided to accept their awards and deliver speeches - but not play. Stanley told Rolling Stone:

We heard, "We would like Ace and Peter in makeup." And we said, "That's not going to happen." That band is long gone… What we offered was to play with Tommy and Eric and then bring out Ace and Peter to play with us.

The Rock Hall, which ignored KISS since the band became eligible for nomination in 1999 (25 years after releasing its first recording), made it clear only the original band members would be honored - a practice they’ve been loose about over the years. Of this, Stanley said:

I don't need the Hall of Fame. And if there's not reciprocity, I'm not interested. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, practically every member was inducted, and virtually all 175 members of the Grateful Dead. Rules need to apply to everybody.